Josef kaspar



(No Model.)

Patnted Oct. 19,1886.

yrzia q/y1 JOSEF KASPAR, OF -WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF CQIIUBIB A.

FlNGER-EXERCISING DEv'lCEl.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 351,111,

Application filed March 27, 1886.

To all 'IL'fbO/Ib it Hui/.7 60710677'1-1 Be it known that I, JOSEF KASPAR, residing at \Vashington, in the District of Columbia, have invented certain new and useful Iniprovemcntsin Finger-Exercising Devices, and I do declare the following to be a full, cloar,and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the artto which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

In the violin and its kindred instruments the performer has no index whereby he is enabled to positively produce a given tone, as is the case in almost all other instruments where the positioning of the fingers to produce given tones is positively indicated, as in the piano and other instruments. In playing theviolin the performer has therefore to depend solely upon his ear to produce the correct tone, and unless the greatest care is taken that he should do this at all times his ear becomes very rapidly accustomed to the false intonations, and he is never enabled to become a good. periormcnexcept by the most strenuous exertions and unremitting practice with a good teacher. It is therefore of the greatest importance to the pupil that he shouldso exercise his fingers as to invariably bring them in the required position on the strings to produce the tone corresponding with the note heis playing. This for the beginner, who is generally young, is a most difficult task, not because his fingers cannot reach to the required distance, but more especially because he has no control over his fingers, due to want of proper muscular development, elasticity or suppleness, and strength. It is the experience of all beginners on the violin that whenever one of the fingers is extended to reach a greater distance than is natural the entire hand will follow the motion of the finger on the strings, and on the violin this occurs the more readily on account of the smoothness of the strings. N or is the pupil alone embarrassed by this want of develop ment of the muscles, but this is the case also with the experienced performer, and even the artist, who, in order to keep his muscles in date-d Uctober 19,1836.

Serial No. 196,830. (No model.)

proper training, and keep control over his fingers, has to exercise constantly, and this becomes often very tedious or annoying when it has to he done on the instrument. It is also well known that when the muscles of the fingers are properly trained and developed the performer can bestow his entire attention to the piece he plays, the fingers moving, unconsciously to him, into proper position, and then, and only then, can he render musicas itshould be rendered. Nhcn, however, he has to divide his attention between the notes before him and his fingers, it is impossible for him either to play a piece as it should be played or keep proper time.

My invention has for its object to provide a simple means whereby a pupil. or an accomplished performer may exercise his fingers without doing this on the instrument itself, and may at the same time amuse himself by reading or conversing, dc, or he may practice while traveling or walking.

To these ends the invention consists in a staff or finger-hoard or a device in the form more or less approaching that of the fingerboard of a violin, or that of the violin itself provided with stops projecting therefrom at suitable distances from one another to formspaces for the reception of the fingers, so that the latter may be extended without permitting the hand to follow the movement of one or more of the fingers.

The invention further consists in a finger exercising device having substantially the form ofa violin, the linger-board whereof is provided wit stops projecting therefrom at suitable distanc s iroinone another and with a musical or chromatic scale.

I am aware that a finger-exercising device has been proposed for use which consists, es sentially, of a thin plate having an irregular contour and pcrlorations for the reception of the fingers. "his is more particularly adapted to r plztyers on the piano, and although good results may be obtained thereby, yet it will be bornein mind that positioning ofthefingers in playing the violin is entirely different from that in playing the piano, and by means of such a device the desired results could not be attained. t

IOO

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of my device in the form of a staff. Fig. 2 is a like view of the staff having the form of the finger-board of a violin. Fig. 3 is a top plan view of-Fig; 1, and Fig. 4 shows the device by an isometric view and of the form of a violin.

The finger-exercising device may be made of any suitable light material; and in the form of a simple staff. A, as shown in Fig. 1, orby giving to the staff the form of the fingerboard ot the violin, as shown in Fig. 2; or the device may be made in the form ofa violin, as shown in Fig.4.

The staff or finger-hoard A has a number of transverse bars, a, whereby a series of spaces are formed equal in number to the number of tones and semi-tones usually produced 'by the four fingers whatever string these may be produced on. In the drawings I have shown the staff or finger-board A as preferably provided with seven transverse bars, forming eight intermediate spaces for the fingers,which will be sufficient for-the greatest stretch or extension of the fingers required in playing. For the more experienced player or the artist the simple staff shown in Fig l, or that shown in Fig. 2, will be sufficient for the purpose of keeping the fingers in proper training; but for the beginner I would recommend the form of device shown in Fig. 4, as he is not only enabled to exercise his fingers to give them the necessary muscular development, but he is also enabled to accustom himself to hold the instrument properly and train his fingers so as to always maintain them in the proper position relatively to the strings of the instrument.

The device is extremely simple and inexpensive, and is as efficient as it is simple, and its operation or mode of using may be briefly described to be as follows: The first finger being placed in the space 1 between the end of the device and the first cross-bar a, the position said finger would take on either of the three strings G D A of a violin to produce a sharp on said strings, or a natural on the E string is held in that position by said first cross-bar, whatever the extension of the other fingers into the succeeding spaces may be. By these means the hand is prevented from following the second, third, or fourth finger when extended along the finger-board into a position that would produce another note or tone onthe violin. Thus, if the second finger is moved into the space between the first and second cross-bars, it will be in the required position to produce either an A, E, B, or F fit, according to the string operated on in the instru ment. If the third finger be placed in space 3,

between the second and third cross bars, said finger will be in a position which would on the instrument produce an A, F, O, or G tone,

according to the string manipulated, and so on for the remaining spaces 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8. As a further illustration, supposing the first finger is placed in the space 5 between the fourth and fifth cross-bars a, this would be the position said finger would assume on the instrument to produce a natural on any of the four strings; the second finger would. when brought in space 6, be in the position required to produce a sharp on either of the strings; the third finger in space 7 would be in the position to produce a natural on either of the strings, and the fourth finger. when placed in space 8, would be in the position to produce on the instrument the 0 natural.

In practice I prefer to so arrange the crossbars a of the finger exercising device to make the stretches sli htly greater than actually required when playing on the instrument itself,

1n order to impart to the fingers a greater lllUS- constructed with a series of alternate ridges and depressions, said depressions being of sufficient depth to place the lingers therein, so as to be held against longitudinal motion on said finger-board, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

2. The hereindescribed finger-exercising device having substantially the form of a violin, the finger-board whereof is provided with a series of alternate ridges and depressions, said depressions being of sufficient depth to place the fingers therein,so as to be held against longitudinal motion on said finger board, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

3. The herein-described finger-exercising device, consisting, essentially, of a finger-board having alternate ridges and depressions, said depressions being of sutficient depth to place the fingers therein so as to be held against longitudinal motion on said finger-board, in combination with a musical or chromatic scale applied to said finger-board, substantially-as and for the purposes specified.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

J OSEF KASPAR.

Witnesses:

D. RITTENHOUSE, O. A. PEARSON. 

